The Largest Billy Idol Mural on The Planet?

Quite possibly. If you know of another larger likeness of the Rebel Yell crooner, please let me know.

This was taken three years ago today in Kavarna, Bulgaria, a Black Sea coastal town of about 12,000 that’s home to one of the world’s few —perhaps only?— heavy metal urban beautification projects. Over a five or six block area, you’ll find several two, three and four-story high murals depicting some of heavy metal’s past and current greats, the brainchild of the city’s Mayor Tsonko Tsonev, an ardent metal head.

If you missed it, I posted a gallery of images here that includes murals of Glenn Hughes, John Lawton, Ian Gillan and several others.

Kavarna is also home to the world’s only statue memorializing former Black Sabbath frontman Ronnie James Dio, a 250 kilogram bronze unveiled and dedicated just five months after Dio’s death in 2010. It has pride of place in the center of the city’s main park. Check out a separate post on the Dio memorial here. It’s likely one of the more obscure monuments you’ll feast your eyes on today.

Not sure I’d call Billy Idol ‘Heavy Metal’ 😉 But they’re a great set of murals! A few missing – Robin Trower, Burke Shelley, Geezer Butler; that’s just the tip of the iceberg so I guess there’s not enough blocks of apartments to go round! 🙂

We could do with some similar artworks in the UK – Joe Strummer in Brixton perhaps? Or, to expand public musical awareness, perhaps a mural of Iona Brown somewhere in Salisbury. Wishful thinking. Thanks for sharing these images 🙂

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Hello & Welcome!

I'm Bob Ramsak, a Ljubljana, Slovenia-based reporter, photographer and blogger driven by a lust for travel, wine, culture and justice. I have a goal to visit all 195 countries recognized by the UN and then open a small cafe and wine bar in a quiet seaside setting.

Piran Café is that destination.

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